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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lean — to bend
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — to visit
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — of water
  7. field — farmland
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. press — newspapers
  11. current — happening now
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — electric
  14. field — a subject
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lean — thin
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com